Prime Minister Launches UnitingCare National Christmas Appeal

“There are many Christmas Appeals, as sadly there are many Australians in need. UnitingCare in conjunction with Target believe we have the easiest and most cost effective Christmas Appeal, something many Australians can contribute to,” said Lin Hatfield Dodds, National Director of UnitingCare Australia.

This year Australians are being asked to simply give a dollar. At every checkout of every Target store are $1 gift tag baubles. Our goal this year is to raise $1 million to provide simple humanity to Australian families in real need.

“A Christmas meal, a petrol voucher, gifts for the kids. These are what our appeal will provide to thousands of families. In Australia one in every six children live in poverty. Last year our Appeal reached 42,000 families, this year we are aiming to reach even more.”

This year marks the 24th year Target and UnitingCare have partnered to brighten the lives of thousands of Australian families and they are calling on Australians to rally together and help those most in need.

The UnitingCare network spans every corner of the country with over 1600 sites providing all types of social services, with 40,000 staff and 30,000 volunteers. Services include critical emergency relief, something that is heavily relied upon at Christmas and in times of natural disaster, especially during bushfire season.

“The message from today’s launch is clear, it is really easy to ‘Give a Dollar’. Let’s make these last few weeks before Christmas count and reach $1 million so the UnitingCare network can provide families with what most of us take for granted.”

“We are urging Australians who use social media to spread the word to ‘give a dollar’ by taking a selfie with a $1 gift tag bauble, using the hashtag #giveadollar.”

“We are honoured that our PM has taken the lead, let’s see how many Australians will join him to ‘Give a Dollar’ to Australians in need.”